Valve



' To all fui/0m t may concern.'

CII

Patented Feb. l2, 1924.

masas VALVE..

Application i'iled December 4, 1922. Serial No. 604,722.

Be it known that l, Renner E. STURMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State or' Minnesota, have invented Certain new and useful Improvements in Valves, ot which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valve structures and the main object is to provide animproved type of valve wherein a fluid under pressure and communicating with the valve will open the latter for passage of the luid only when said pressure has reached a predetermined degree of strength, and wherein said valve will only close said passage when suoli predetermined pressure is: materially reduced, so that neither the pressure pro` ducing means nor the size of the valve open ing will be materially alfected by the normal tendency of the valve to close or react against the pressure current which has opened it.

A further, or probably a more specilic,

f object is to provide a valve structure in combination with a fluid conduit, which delivers the fluid `from a source under pressure to a supply tank, whereby when the tank is full the surplus fluid will open the valve so that it may be discharged into an auxiliary or second tank in such a manner as to notl subject the initial pressure or power to the additional llabor of holding the valve open against spring or gravity resistance as is usually required. Further objects will be kdisclosed and described in the course oit'thc following specification and areembo-died in the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the device showing the main valve structure in diametrical section, and the passage therein open.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings more specifically and by reference characters, L designates a lcoupling in which is secured a supply pipe 5, a primary delivery pipe 6, and a nipple 7 on which is secured the valve body or casing` 8. A secondary supply pipe 9 communicates with the nipple 7 (when the valve is open) through a port or seat'lO, in

the partition 11, and is also provided with A a straight portion 16 adjacent thereto which when the valve is shut or partially shut slidably engages inthe cylindrical part of y the port 10.. Thus theport passage is entirely closed until the part 16y has been raised its full length out of the cylindrical part of the port, which action is essentialto the hereinafter described valve mechanism.

The mechanism just referred to may, Jfor sake of convenience, be called a tripper; and consists primarily of a lever 17 having a channel in which rolls a ball 18. The lever has anintegral projection 19 which is pivotally secured, as at 20 toa bracket 21, which in turn is rotatably mounted and secured by a nut 222 on the member 14. The longer and heavierend of thelever is held up by a pin 23, which is also pivotally secured to the lever projection 19 and rests with its lower end in a pocket 24e'in the upper end of the member 13, said pocket being large enough to allow play for the pin to compensate for its swinging movement from the center 20. l

The short end of the lever is provided with a set screw '25 against which the ball 18 rests, when in that end of the channel. The screw is threaded into the lever, and is provided with a lock nut 26, so that the position of the ball with respect to the tilting centerk (20) of the lever can be easily adjusted. The long end of the lever is provided with a rotatable bolt 27 which is threaded in and adjustably carries a bumper 28, which limits the rolling movement on? the ball 18 in that direction. This bumper guides in a slot 29 in the lever 1.7. Thus by turning the bolt 27 the position of they which it is particularly, but not necessarily,

intended to be used. With this in mind it will be assumed that pipe 5 leads from a windmill driven pump, pipe 6 leads to a primary tank and pipe 9 leads to a secondary tank or some other place where it is desired to divert the water after the primary tank is filled.

The valve is normally closed, the longend of the lever 17 being down, as indicated vby the dotted lines in Fig. l, the ball 18 being in its leftmost position. Asthe Windmill turns, either continuously or periodically the water is forcedthroughthe pipes and 6 and to the primary storage tank. Tothis extent the valve is in no way affected as the pressure required to iill the tank is vnot sufficient to raise the lever and-'open-:the

valve.r But when the primary tank rhas reachedl its capacity `the reaction ftogetheri with the usual current vpressure will 'rush the water up into the valve, and will, by

raising the plunger 13 and lever 17,-cau-se the ball 18 to roll down to the short 4end, of

. the lever. And although the ballvdoes not sis counter-balance or over-balancethe yheavier end ofV the lever it reduces the `d'owlnward pressure or resistance on the valve core to the extent that but a small current ofwater will hold it open. The object as well as the result of this arrangement will be quite obvious, for it will readily be seen that asthe valve will stay open almost o-f its own accord the windmill will not be required to work with any less efliciency than when-filling the primary tank, w-hichheretofore has been the case as most valves for this purpose rhave been held open against strong resistingpressure solely by virtue ogf the currentpower.

Shouldthe windmill orthe pumping ap'- paratus for any reasonstop then the valve core 13 will immediately reseatvitself, as the .veight of the longer end of the lever 17 slightly overbalances the shorter end even with the weight of thevballadded. vThis will not only check a back current from the pipe 9 through the valve,but will also cause the neXt flow of water tobe directed to'the primary tank in case `that drawing ofi-has reduced the pressure therein.

The necessary valve releasing and closing pressure can be adjusted to rany degree de'- sired by turning the screw 25, and the/bolt 27, and also by` changing the fulcrum of'the lever, as provided lfor. It may here be noted that the bracket 2l is rotatably mounted onthe member 14, so that the lever can be swung to any convenient position found necessary or desirable.

It is understood that suitable modifications in the general design and structural details of this invention may be made, provided, however, that such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully shown and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. In a valve having a cylindrical port, aplun-gerorcore slidably mounted in alignmentAWith said port so as to engage therein-lfduringv part of its movement, means for yieldingly keeping said core jin engagement withf'the. portyand automatic means for materially reducing the closing pressure on said yplunger when the same has been removed.' from engagement with said port.

2. A kvalve having a vertically arranged cylindrical port, aplunger slidably mount ed in alignment with and above the port for engagement therein during part of the movement ofthe plunger, a Vgravity actuated' device Ifor -yieldingly pressing said plunger toward and into the port, means operablefby lifting the plunger to varythe` the `l`gravity pressure exerted thereagainst.

In combination with a valve havingaport closing member, a lever mounted on the valve/and operatively engaged with said member so as to yieldingly press the latter toward the port, a'ball adapted to roll on said le.ver,'when the lattery is tilted, to its lowest end, @said ball beingof substantial weightso as to vary the gravitational pres- Surefofthe heavierend of the lever against said port closing member, and an adjusting device at oneend of thelever for limiting the movement of the ball in that direction.

4. In combination witha valve having a port closing member, a bracket rotatably mounted onthe valve, a lever pivoted on the bracket and operatively communicating with ythe member, said lever being heavier at one endfto gravitationally effect a downward pressure on the member, and means, operative by an opening .movement of the port closing member, to reduce the gravitationalV pressure mentioned. i

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT E. STURMAN. 

